SIR,

On the Logos. To the Editor.

THE respectful letter of your correspondent I, in the Number for November last, on the Introduction to St. John's Gospel, demands from me an attentive reply. Since his letter appeared, I have carefully reviewed the interpretation, which appears to me generally correct; and I now submit the following paper in the full belief that it will be received candidly by your correspondent, having no higher wish, than that whether by the adoption or rejection of this interpretation, the proposal of it may serve to promote the interests of truth.

THE REVIEWER OF UPHAM
ON THE LOGOS.

The introduction to the Gospel of John appears to me one of those portions of Holy Scripture in which we have escaped the truth by attempting to dive too deep. I apprehend that the principal word, about which so much difficulty has been felt, or so much inystery been imagined, is one which, from the frequency of its occurrence in the New Testament, and our consequent familiarity with its usage, might have been expected to be plain and obvious. Many attempts have been made to explain this remarkable passage of Scripture from foreign sources. We cannot have forgotten the admission of Austin, and of Horsley in modern times, that an acquaintance with the philosophy of Plato is necessary to the right understanding of this part of St. John's Gospel: "I never understood the Proem till I read Plato." Others, among whom is Michaëlis, have conceived that certain erroneous notions of contemporaries were referred to by the Evangelist with a view to refutation; on which I repeat the sentiment of Lardner, that it would have been beneath our Evangelist to have incorporated a refutation of such

* Introduction to the N. T., Vol. III. 286. "As soon as this dissertation was published (viz. a Dissertation on the Opinions of the Sect which took its name from John the Baptist) the ob scurity in which St. John's Gospel had been involved, was at once dissipated"!

opinions in a life of his Master; and I think there is much greater probability in the idea expressed by Dr. Carpenter, (Unitarianism, &c., 3d ed., p. 58, 58, note,) 1 that the Gnostics, whose opinions are referred to, "derived some of their peculiar terms from the apostle himself;" and according to the interpretation prevalent among Trinitarians, we are obliged, at the outset, to assign to the most important term in the passage, (upon which the sense of the whole depends,) a meaning for which, I believe, there is no sufficient authority, and of which usage no good example can be found throughout the Bible. Now this is obviously a forcible objection to any theory of interpretation. That which I am about to propose has this great advantage, I believe peculiar to itself, that it adopts that sense of the word Λογος which is the sense that it commonly bears in the scriptural writers. If we can make good sense, then, of the whole passage by this analogical use of the principal term, we seem to be restrained by every rule of common sense and just interpretation from travelling beyond the records of divine revelation to borrow aid and illustration from other quarters.

Now, upon au examination of the term Λογος, in a Lexicon to the N. T., we find the word explained by several terms, such as the following: word, speech, narrative, report, precept, testimony, oracle, promise, threatening, doctrine, &c., in which variety of expression, however, it is observable, that one general idea pervades the whole; and that that one idea comes as near as may be to the idea conveyed by our term word; an indication of which may be found in the fact, that whereas Schleusner gives all these senses to Λόγος, and more than these, our English Version attempts to express the whole by the one term word. This may shew the propriety of retaining a term in the English translation, the extensive signification of which seems well to correspond with the original.

But it is obvious that the circumstances in which this term Λόγος is very frequently employed, will greatly limit its signification: e. g. when our Saviour says, in his parable of the Sower, Matt. xiii., "When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended; he also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful;" we never experience the least difficulty in understanding his meaning. Our attention is not directed to a word in the ab stract, or one of the constituent parts of a sentence, which is, however, its primitive sense; but we understand some one of the derivative senses following easily from the primary sense, suggested by the circumstances in which the speaker stood, and finding its explanation in

other parts of the New Testament. What

is the Christian Volume itself, but a record of the word? And who that reads this inestimable volume, but must be familiar with such phrases as the word of truth, the word of Christ, the word of life, the word of God, the word of his grace-these being only fuller expressions for that quoted from Matt. xiii., the word simply; that instruction which was communicated by God through Jesus Christ; grace, truth, life, and some other words expressing a leading feature of that instruction, and by a common figure in language being placed for the whole. This may be admitted to be a common, perhaps the prevailing sense of the expression in the N.T. But the term

Let us then consider the translation and interpretation of the introductory verses of the First Epistle of Johu, which

appear to furnish some peculiar clue to

meaning: "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, [not of, but] in relation to the word of life, (for the life has been manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and shew to you that eternal life which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us; that which we have seen and heard,) we declare unto you." This passage would, I think, other considerations apart, appear particularly easy; and the following remarks occur in connexion with it. 1. The Apostle does not say, have seen, we have handled the word of life," as our version, from the unfortunate rendering of περι, has seemed to countenance, but "that which we have seen," &c., in relation to, concerning, the word of life; and it is singular that this error was not observed by so accurate a reasoner as the late Rev. T. Kenrick, in whose Exposition, Vol. II. p. 209, 1st ed., will be found an argument derived from this misinterpretation, in favour of the opinion that ὁ Λόγος, the Word, denotes the person of Jesus Christ. But other translators and expositors have fallen into

the same mistake.

"We

2. The expression eternal life which occurs in this passage, is one which occurs often in this Apostle's writings, and invariably signifies, so far as I am aware, not a person, but the distinguishing principle of the Christian religion, or that promised gift which the Father authorized the Son to bestow on those who obey him: e.g. John vi. 68; 1 John ii. 25.

3. As to the word αρχη, that is of so indefinite a nature in itself, that its sense must evidently be taken from the connexion in which it is used. I apprehend that in this Epistle itself it is used in opposite senses: thus, while ch. ii. 7, 24, iii. 11, and 2 John ver. 6, seem clearly

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to shew that the first preaching, or early reception, of the gospel is intended, with which may be compared John xv. 27, xvi. 4;-another passage, 1 John iii. 8, (with which may be compared John viii. 44,) clearly refers to an early part of the world's existence, a sense which is corroborated by Paul's use of the word, 2 Thess. ii. 13. Perhaps 2 Pet. iii. 4 renders the remoter sense probable. These instances, combined with Gen. i. 1, make, I think, the balance of probability go down in favour of αρχη in the sense of the beginning of the world.

4. The phrase, was with the Father, is, I apprehend, sufficiently obvious, from a comparison of it with those passages of St. Paul which speak of the mystery of, or doctrine according to, godliness, which was hidden from ages, and generations, laid up with God, but subsequently manifested. Having proceeded thus far, we can scarcely doubt that we are in possession of the true meaning of the Apostle. He and his fellow-labourers announced to the believers the fulfilment of that gracious intention which had been formed by the Divine Being at the beginning of time, which had been promised by him, speaking through the prophets, but which was bestowed through Jesus Christ. This promise is eternal life, the assurance of a state of eternal happiness to all the obedient, and the most distinct information concerning the mode of obtaining it. Of the fulfilment of this promise they, the apostles, had received the most palpable evidence; for they had heard the Father's testimony at the baptism and the transfiguration; they had seen the miracles which declared him to be the Son of God; they had beheld with their eyes, and their hands had handled, the risen Jesus-all these being evidences in relation to the doctrine of eternal life which "God, that cannot lie, had promised."

What can be more reasonable, then, than that, with this interpretation impressed on the mind, I should proceed to explain a passage, written by the same author, bearing so many marks of similarity, assigning to the words and phrases occurring there also the ideas which we have gleaned from the first paragraph of the Epistle, viz.

1. Eternal life, (which is the distinguishing part of that word which was communicated to the world by Jesus Christ,) existed in the beginning.

2. It had been laid up with the Father. 3. It was at length manifested to the world by a human being, Jesus, the Christ.

Now, these will be found prominent

ideas in the proem to St. Johu's Gospel, agreeably to the following succinct exposition.

Ver. 1-5, "In the beginning," i. e. from the foundation of the world, (Gen. i. 1, Prov. viii. 23,) existed the Word, or scheme of religious truth, in agreement with the scriptural expression, (Eph. i. 4,) "God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world," and this Word was laid up with God, intended to be made known, but as yet uncommunicated. And this Word was divine, divine in its nature, divine in its origin. All things were, or caine to pass, through it. All the succeeding dispensations of religion proceeded from this source, and were formed after that prototype existing in the Divine mind. In it was contained the principle of life, eternal life, (1 John i. 2,) the sum and substance of Divine Revelation, and this life was designed to be the spiritual illumination of mankind. The light shone amid the darkness of surrounding idolatry and heathen superstition, and the darkness did not wholly eclipse it. Several of the holy men of old discerned the promises afar off, and discovered their hope of the glory which should be revealed.

Ver. 6-9. A man received a commission from the Supreme Being, whose name was John. The design of his mission was to bear testimony to the approach of that light which should enlighten the Gentiles, as well as constitute the glory of Israel. He was not himself the medium of diffusing that light, but was to act only as the morning star which ushers in the bright luminary of day. The true light was that which, when introduced, irradiated with its rays the whole world of mankind, consisting of Gentiles and Jews, and not one nation only.

Ver. 10-14. (God)+ was in the world, the world was made by his almighty power, all nations of men on the face of the earth were by him constituted, yet the world, generally, knew him not. He came to his own, to that portion of the world

* I do not conjecture any other reading here, but I suppose θεος without the article to be here used adjectively, and to be equivalent to θειος.

+ The Greek scholar knows that no nominative is expressed in the Original. It cannot be the last-mentioned, viz. the light, because φως is neuter. Dr. Priestley (Harm.) inserts God at the beginning of the 11th verse. It is better, I think, to do this at the beginning of the 10th.